They play a not-free show at Central Park Summerstage with Grizzly BearandLand of Talk (who are also playing Citysol) on Monday July 16th. It's sold out, but I have one pair of tickets to give away to one lucky winner. To win, e-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Decemberists) and let me know what the last show you saw was. One winner will be picked at random. Contest ends July 12 @ 5pm EST.

Check out their recent appearance on Leno, tour dates, and other stuff, below....

In all fairness, I should probably recuse myself from reviewing the Decembrists. They are a band I know, we’ve toured together and I’ve appeared in one of their music videos. Also, Decembrist Chris Funk guested on the Long Winters’ most recent album. I can’t possibly review their show impartially, because I like them too much.

On the other hand, I’ve been in a “fake feud” with them for several years, involving some “smack talking” and pranking, which despite my best efforts has failed to catch fire mostly because they reciprocate too passively. (I think they’re holding out for a fake feud with Sufjan Stevens or something). So I can’t really be trusted not to call them a bunch of fruity, Vaudeville, pirate-song-singing sissies just to burn their britches a little.

But in this instance I’m acting as a professional journalist and I must honor my caste by reporting the news without adornment. They played their epic song, "The Tain," which was a bold choice, and their kitchy theatricality played exceptionally well with the big crowd.

At one point Colin led the audience in bidding the sun to set, and the effect was like a pagan ceremony — 15,000 people all motioning in unison toward the sun. In the end Mavis Staples joined them for a song, which was a little like... Like... Well, there is no better analogy for an unfathomable incongruity than: Like Mavis Staples jamming with the Decembrists. [John Roderick]

The Rosebuds have a new record out on Merge (Night of the Furies) - MP3 from that above. Land of Talk are coming out with a 7" in the UK on May 21st - they're also touring the UK. All tour dates below...

"On July 21, 1853, the New York State Legislature approved a bill designating a piece of land in the middle of Manhattan for a great public park: the nation's first major public park." [a history of Central Park]

I've been slacking on keeping the NYC summer concert list totally up to date - some of it is even split on to a different page. I'm fixing that problem now. In the meantime, the most updated Central Park Summerstage list I could come up with is below (lots of new ones)....

" Stephen Colbert, of basic cable television program 'The Colbert Report,' has formally accepted a counter-counter challenge from The Decemberists, setting the stage for an epic battle on par with Ali vs. Frazier, Scopes v. State and Kramer vs. Kramer. The winner-take-all guitar duel will take place on Wednesday, December 20th at 11:30 pm ET/PT on Comedy Central’s 'The Colbert Report.'"

COLIN MELOY IS PLAYING A SMALL OREGON BENEFIT
"Meloy will join forces with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters for a private living-room gig Friday (Oct. 6). Fans able to cough up $75 a seat -- all of which goes to OLCV coffers -- will catch the songwriter in what's sure to be one of most intimate shows of the year." [Aversion]

"it's an amicable thing; we still are friends. For one thing, we initially had asked her to come aboard as a touring musician for just the Picaresque tours. We hadn't really expected to take her on as a full-time part of the band. There was some talk about that happening, but in the end, after the tours were over and we were back in the comforts of our homes it didn't necessarily still make sense".

EARLASH: Cool. So my last question: you talked about how the Decemberists are on an upswing right now and you're getting a lot of attention all of a sudden. Where do you think this is going and where do you want it to go? What's the five-year plan?

COLIN MELOY: I think we want to keep it realistic in keeping it in the indie community. Not to say that the major label industry has ever been that healthy, but it seems to be particularly unhealthy right now and really messed up and not a lot of positive, productive, creative stuff is coming out. And I think the indie community right now is as strong as it's ever been and there's some really, really great stuff coming out. So I'd like to keep moving in that circle. And to continue maintaining our creative freedom. We have an ideal situation at Kill Rocks Stars. They let us do whatever we want. And yeah, just to be able to quit my day job at some point and be able to do music full time. [from an earlash interview - July 2003]

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HUSH RECORDS: What is your opinion of the Portland music scene?

COLIN MELOY: I go back and forth on that. I'm really pleased to see how many solid indie labels have taken such a vested interest in a lot of the more marginalized Portland bands right now: The Thermals, Desert City Soundtrack, The Standard, KOLS, The Joggers. Regardless of how disparate their musics, they all deserve what they get. I think a lot of other bands who are sinking themselves into the mire of major label grovel-dom could learn a thing or two from these bands and change their tune. [The rest of that undated interview]

"To celebrate the completion of The Tain (Super 8 version with Decemberists soundtrack slated to appear on the upcoming date), I thought I might let my hair down and let you peek at a few stills. Thanks to Corporal Bradley for hooking this up. The DVD release date is still TBA." [Decemberists Message Board] (thx J)